<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Weird but in a good way by thecaffeinatedwriter</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24815035">Weird but in a good way</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecaffeinatedwriter/pseuds/thecaffeinatedwriter'>thecaffeinatedwriter</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Summer Boys [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - Benjamin Alire Sáenz</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:29:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>941</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24815035</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecaffeinatedwriter/pseuds/thecaffeinatedwriter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Aristotle and Dante decide that it's time to start a family. Snapshots of domestic life. Will include lot's of fluff and some angst because what's fanfiction without it, right?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aristotle Mendoza/Dante Quintana</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Summer Boys [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2168223</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Weird but in a good way</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Early 2000’s</p><p>It was early in the morning but Ari and Dante were awake. Yes, it was 4 a.m., Dante Quintana was awake and their tiny New York apartment was most certainly not on fire. No, the real reason as to why they were awake was a phone call. And a very important one indeed.<br/>
“What? Who’s calling us at the ass-crack of dawn?” Dante said, still halfway asleep.<br/>
“It’s the adoption agency.”<br/>
And that was it. Dante was awake peering over Ari’s shoulder as he scribbled on the notepad he kept on his nightstand. Could this really be it? They had been trying for almost two years. Two years of things falling apart just as they were about to come together. Two years of heartbreaks. Two years of staring at an empty nursery wondering if they were even destined to be fathers.<br/>
“I’m gonna go make us some coffee.” Dante stood up and kissed Ari on the forehead, he knew he wouldn’t be able to handle more false hopes. And if he was being honest, he wasn’t sure he could either.</p><p>Of course, by make us some coffee, he meant make Ari some coffee. Dante still couldn’t understand how adults could drink something so disgusting. He was sure it was all a big conspiracy designed to keep him from feeling like an adult. Like wearing ties (aka strangling devices), or pretending to understand taxes, or getting up and making your bed every morning (the sheets need to rest too).<br/>
“Yes of course, we’ll be right there.” Ari’s voice sounded hopeful and confident. Dante loved the way he spoke on the phone. Like a man sure of himself. It gave him the courage to keep trying, to keep on looking for this baby, certain that they were destined to be family. Ari’s certainty made his worst doubts go away. He would never admit to it, but he didn’t exactly feel prepared to be a father, not until Ari started taking over all the baby stuff. Ari knew what kind of crib to get, which painting was lead-free, even the appropriate amount of stuffed animals their kid could ever need, “Definitely not more than thirty-seven, Dante.” Even if it had been Dante who had brought up the idea in the first place.</p><p>It had happened three years ago, but Dante remembered the day clearly. He had been so nervous. The couple had been living for quite a while in Tucson, Arizona. Ari had never brought himself to sell his aunt’s house and they were happy there. At least that’s what Dante kept telling himself. They had a house that was their own, Ari was writing a book and Dante was starting to make a name for himself in the art world. He had recently started working as a professor and had fallen head-over-heels for the profession, his father wasn’t at all that surprised when he told him over the phone. “You are my son, Dante.” Sam’s proud tone didn’t stop him from pointing out that he was also his mother’s son, and he had no plans to ever pursue psychology. All was well. Except, every time Dante saw a toddler struggling with his words, a baby smiling or a kid ask a million questions, much to the annoyance of their parents. He felt like there was something missing from his life.<br/>
“Hey, Ari,” Dante extended the picnic blanket they had brought to the desert, “Do you ever think about kids?”<br/>
“What about ‘em?”<br/>
“You’re an absolute dipshit, you know that, right?” He punched him, not super soft, but not too hard either.<br/>
“C’mon, Dante.” Ari hugged him.<br/>
“C’mon? C’mon what, Ari?” Dante pretended to not be hurt. Or at least he tried. He wasn’t very good at pretending.<br/>
“Ok.”<br/>
“Ok?”<br/>
“Yeah.”<br/>
“Ari I just asked you to do something that will fundamentally change our lives. And all you say is ‘ok’?”<br/>
Ari just laughed.<br/>
“You do realize that becoming a parent is the most incredible, most important, most momentous decision you’ll ever make?”<br/>
“Dante, take the win,” Ari scooched over to him, looking at the stars, “Look, I’ve thought about it too, ok? But I didn’t wanna push you. Your career is just taking off and I guess I wanted it to come from you.”<br/>
“Oh, Ari.” Dante touched his arm, “Why can’t you just talk?” They both laughed.<br/>
“Fair. I’ll talk to our kid. That’s promise.” Dante liked the way Ari said it ‘our kid’. “And with you as a father? Dante Quintana, that kid will be the luckiest in the entire universe. I love you.”<br/>
He could barely contain his smile. “I know.”<br/>
It was his turn to get punched.</p><p>And the quest had begun. They had moved to New York, following one of the few adoption agencies that would accept them. Dante had landed a job as an arts professor in NYU and Ari continued to write. The past few months, however, had been hard on both of them. Even if Dante’s students loved him and if Ari had built a respectable audience for his novel and was working on another one. The adoption process was draining. Form after form was filled, they waited and waited and waited. But it was only becoming harder, harder to tell their curious friends that they really had no news. Or their parents that this time it would go through. Or to themselves that it would happen one day. One day. </p><p>	“Today’s the day.”<br/>
Dante’s mouth flew open, his hand let go of the cup of coffee and just as it shattered into a million pieces he said, “We’re getting a baby!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey! So here I am, writing another fic without finishing the first one :) (I'll get to the other one I promise) Please let me know what you thought of this, feedback is very much appreciated and suggestions are welcome. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and you can always find me on  <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/thecaffeinatedwritersblog">Tumblr</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>